Food for the Soul
“And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.” -Exodus 16:14-15
Here we have the first Biblical account of what is called “manna.” The people were to go out each morning, day by day, and gather it up to be eaten for the rest of the day.
Yet, in this story of God’s manna, we see another parallel: that we ought to search out and find God’s words each morning. That is, we are to have a daily devotional time alone with God each day as our spiritual food.
His words are food
It is a fitting analogy, connecting up the manna that God gave the people in the wilderness, and our necessity to hear God’s words to us each day. Yet, there is not any place in Scripture where manna is expressly and directly linked to the spiritual bread of God’s words, though it is hinted at several times. Let’s take a closer look.
“The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” -Proverbs 10:21
It is strange to ponder, but as the body needs food, the soul needs a sort of nourishment as well. And just as the soul is ethereal and invisible, so too is its food unseen. The soul feeds on ideas: we feed on the knowledge and truth of God, as it is found and written in His word.
The apostle Paul, as he was departing from the church at Ephesus for the last time, charged the elders of the people with one last command: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Paul charges the elders to feed the people. And what were they to give the people? Truth. Words of truth, communicated in ideas and parables, which brings nourishment and growth to the soul.
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” -1 Peter 2:2
And as babies can only handle milk, so too do we begin as spiritual babies when we are born again by the Spirit of God. We require someone to bottle-feed us God’s truth; we cannot yet fully comprehend it all for ourselves, but in due time, we are to grow and mature in the Lord:
“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” -Hebrews 5:13-14
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